Six Months
by girlmadeofjade
Summary: Mamushi is in disbelief she somehow got the man of her dreams. Juuzo already has all their children's names planned out.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So not actually sure how long Juuzo and Mamushi's engagement actually was, but it was summer during the Kyoto arc and now it's Christmas so I'm going with six months. (Boy certainly moved fast LOL)

* * *

It's not like Mamushi was lonely or anything like that. Despite her "uncute" mouth that monkey always says, her family loved her and she did have a few acquaintances from school she kept in touch with every now and then.

But she was weak. And it was something apparently everyone saw; including Saburota Todo. Looking back, it was pathetic how she easily fell for his trap and ended up playing the role as the traitor just like that. Her eye was barely enough payment for the trouble she had caused to the Order.

The doctors had told her it would take roughly a month for her eye socket to fully heal. That and surgery would also be needed unless she wanted to keep her eye socket empty. But she could barely listen to everything they were saying when all she could remember was leaving behind the Most High Priest alone in the woods wounded.

Not only that, but that monkey also caught her first handed playing the role as the traitor. It was so frustrating. He was always a step ahead of her in everything; grades, friends, rank, there was nothing he couldn't beat her at and yet he was always making sure she was right behind her. It made no sense why he was always so concerned about her. Just because they were the only two students from the Myōō Dharani sect didn't mean he had to babysit her like that. But now… would he even look at her after this? He left quickly after dropping her off at the inn. Obviously he had to go back to join the fight, but he barely said anything to her.

"Hojo-san," the person attending to her called.

"The doctor just left. We'll have your surgery confirmed once things have settled. They said everything was fine, but you must relax. Your heart rate hasn't slowed down since you've gotten here. I've brought you a prayer book if meditation will help, but please try to get some rest."

He set the small book next to her while he giving her a reassuring smile. It didn't help her at all.

"Thank you, I'll try and get some rest for now." She could hear herself say. Honestly, she just wanted to be alone and wallow in self-pity.

"I'll give you some space then. I believe your mother will be arriving shortly as well. I'll let you know when she is here."

With that, he had left, but Mamushi still held her breath. What was she going to do if the Most High Priest died because of her? What about her father and her sisters? They were all probably out there fighting against something she helped to awaken. What kind of disgrace has she brought to her own family? There was no way she was going to be allowed to stay in Myōō Dharani let alone the Order. But what was she going to do then? She had studied her whole life for this sect.

She spent what felt like hours going in circles and getting no answers until sheer exhaustion finally caused her to knock out for a few hours. She didn't even know she fell asleep until she felt the warmth of her mother's hand on her forehead. But not wanting to face her mother's disappointment just yet, she continued to faint asleep until she left. She managed to sleep a little longer until she finally just threw herself into mantras just to get her focus elsewhere.

There was always someone popping in to check up on her, but finally, finally it seemed like people were coming back from the battlefield. There were loud commotions happening in the lobby of the inn and multiple footsteps running back and forth signifying people returning.

"I'm going to have a look. Please lay down and stay still, Mamushi-san." Her attendant said, clearly just as curious as she was to see the result of the fight.

All of a sudden, her anxiety came rushing back at full force. There was no way she was just going to lie there! She moved like a newborn calf to the door. Hours of laying down had caused her body to groan at the point of movement. But she was going to gravel on her feet to the Most High Priest even if she had a sore body and a gaping eye socket. She'll gravel on her feet to her father, to Yaozo-san, to anyone and everyone until she can finally get rid of this guilt that had replaced the gap that was once filled with distrust and paranoia.

She barely reached for the door when someone else on the opposite side opened it instead. Her eyes widened in shock to see Juuzo Shima standing in front of her. Why did he come here so fast? Her sisters haven't even shown up yet... Did that mean they were hurt? She had so many questions she wanted, no needed, to know the answers of.

"What are you doing? Lay down!" Juuzo said, shocked to see a recently injured person try to walk.

"Saru…" Mamushi trembled, her mouth moving but she could hardly say any words. Could she deal with the truth if it was an ugly one?

But Juuzo's face only showed concern and exhaustion, no hint of sadness whatsoever. Helping to hold up her body, his hands lightly held her arms, as if he cared for her.

"First let me tell you. The Impure King has been defeated. The Most High Priest and others are all safe. So…" His face turned more careful, caring.

"Don't make that face, Mamushi…"

She was already crying before he could finish his sentence. It was more than what she could hope for. Everyone was alive! Her mess didn't cause the death of anyone she knew and loved. How could God be so kind to a screw up like her?

She crushed her face into Juuzo's chest, not caring this was breaking all her rules against this certain monkey. She needed comfort, she needed security, and his arms wrapped perfectly around her in warmth. She pretended this was normal for them. She pretended she never thought about what it was like to be this close to him. She pretended he'll forgive her like always.

Eventually, he had moved them both back to her futon so they were not awkwardly crouching by the doorway. Juuzo stroked her hair while keeping his other arm safely around her waist. Neither of them were saying anything, scared that talking might break the spell that was currently cast over them. Mamushi wondered how long she could cling onto him before he would get annoyed. Her hand was still clutching onto Juuzo's sleeve as she fell asleep again, never noticing Juuzo's face deep in thought.

When she woke up again, it was morning. And Juuzo was nowhere to be found.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading! Not sure how long this series will be (definitely less than 10 chapters) I'll try to keep the updates weekly :)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Already late on my first deadline LOL. Was a bit ambitious last week since I also went to con over the weekend… Anyways enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Mamushi had her head to the ground the minute her father woke up. Her whole family had slept in the same room as her it turned out. Her parents laid in one futon while her sisters just clambered on top of her last night.

Having gone to bed the earliest, she was shocked almost to tears to see that her family was with her when she woke up.

But she knew that was no excuse to not deeply apologize for the shame she had brought to the family. Her younger sisters would instantly forgave her, she could do no wrong in their eyes. Her mother held her hand the whole time she explained exactly what happened and how she naively followed the words of her former teacher. Her father was a bit more reserved, but she could see no hatred in his eyes, only sadness.

"It seems there will be a lot of changes happening in the sect." Her father said, standing up. "I should go clean up and find Yaozo-san, there's much to discuss."

But before he could reach the door, there was a knock coming from the outside.

"Come in," Mamushi replied, wondering if it was one of the attendants checking up on her.

"Good morning! Ah, Mamushi, Uwabami-san, you're both here. I have something I'd like to discuss immediately, if that's okay."

To her surprise, it was Juuzo. She sat with her mouth slightly open and her face already turning pink. Still exposed from yesterday's feelings, she quickly hid her face behind her sister's back. Her father frowned.

"Is this an important matter? I actually need to talk with Yaozo-san first and Mamushi should be resting."

"My father's already waiting in a room, and it'll just take a few minutes. I promise I'll let Mamushi rest afterwards." Juuzo replied in a matter-of-fact way.

"Hear the boy out," her mother said. "I'm sure it'd be good for Mamushi to walk around a bit as well, she's slept most of the day yesterday."

"Obaa-san, Nishiki, Ao, I'd like you all to join as well if you'd like." Juuzo politely requested.

"Oh my, what can this be about, I'm getting curious." Her mother gave an all-knowing smirk.

"Unfortunately, I have to run back home and get everything settled for Mamushi's return. But please let me know the details afterward."

Dear, make sure you take it easy today yourself all right?" She told her husband.

"And Nishiki, Ao, watch over your sister for me? I'll see you all at home tonight."

Her mother tidied up the room and prepared to leave as the rest of the group continued talking.

"Juuzo-san, just give us all a few minutes to get ready and we'll meet up with you. Which room is your father in?" Uwabami asked.

"Great! He's waiting in the small conference room on the East side. I'll go let him know now that you're coming."

The two men left first, most likely to discuss more of yesterday's events, but Mamsushi wondered what they needed her and the rest of her family for. Her sisters busied themselves by pulling out a clean kimono for her to wear. But it was her mother who got her up and started pulling her hair into its usual ponytail. While helping her get dressed, they started talking.

"What do you think that monkey wants to talk about?" Ao asked, her curiosity showing.

"Who cares, it's probably something stupid. I'm just glad Ane-sama is fine." Nishiki replied, carefully tying the obi around Mamushi's waist.

"What do you think Ane-sama?" Ao asked Mamushi. But all Mamushi was thinking about was how red her face was when Juuzo came in.

Did he think she was a bother clinging onto him yesterday? Oh god, if she fell asleep on him did he also hear her snore? What if she drooled?

"Ane-sama?" Ao asked again.

"Are you still not feeling well? We can ask them for another time." Nishiki proposed, worried about Mamushi's health.

"I think," her mother commented. "That everything is going to be just fine, might even be better."

"What do you mean Mother?"

"We'll just have to see what happens at this important meeting you all should be running off to."

Mamushi sighed. "We might as well get this done and over with." She gave herself one last look in the mirror, specifically the eyepatch that will now become a permanent accessory to her outfit.

The three girls quickly went to meet with the Upper Class Exorcists, waving goodbye to their mother who was heading out first. Mamushi knocked on the door curtly, announcing the arrival of her and her sisters.

"Ah, this is perfect," Juuzo said, a casual smile lingering on his face. "Can you sit over here, Mamushi?"

"What's going on Juu-ni?" Kinzo asked, settling down next to his father.

"Uwabami-san, this is a discussion I wanted to have with the whole family, but it's always so hard to get all of us together… I've been thinking about this for a long time now, and I don't think there's a point in discussing this much further. Our families are close, and I'm thankful for that, but after recent events, I want no more mistrust or thoughts of betrayal. I don't want to lose anybody ever again…"

He paused to look at Mamushi. He spoke with such purpose, she wondered what he was trying to infer.

"That's why… Mamushi will be mine from now on!" He smiled. His eyebrows turning in as usual when he laughed, it was the first time in a while he was able to show such an expression.

"Huh… HUH?!"

Mamushi could not believe her ears. What was he talking about? This was a joke right? Was this her punishment? Get ridiculed by her crush in front of her family? If so, she was fine with never showing her face in public ever again.

What was happening?

"I wanted to settle down about now. It's perfect." He says nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders.

"Wha-why are you saying such irresponsible…" Her face was turning redder and redder by the minute. She almost couldn't even get words out.

"I haven't consented to any of this!" She finally yelled out, embarrassingly looking away from her father and sisters.

"Consent, you say?" He responded. "Last night, the course of events were quite natural between us, weren't they?" Juuzo leaned closely to Mamushi's face. She could practically feel his warmth from last night…

"Stop that!" Her hands started to shake, either from horror or embarrassment. "St-st-stop saying that here..."

Not knowing what else to say, she also threw in a "I'll kill you" threat even though she knew that never worked with him. He only smiled wider.

Her poor father was turning even paler than he usually was. Her sisters started freaking out as well, throwing accusations right and left, doing their best to protect her maidenhood. She also picked up Kinzo mentioning how Juuzo wanted a busty blonde as his wife… Was that the type he liked?

"Enough!" Her father yelled, silencing not only the noise but the movement in the room. His mouth was literally smoking and even Yaozo-san looked nervous.

"Juuzo," Yaozo began. "It doesn't look like Mamushi-chan is consenting to this. Maybe you should talk it out with her a bit more? It's an important subject to discuss."

"I told you… I don't think we will come to any agreement if we talk about it." Juuzo muttered, looking annoyed that nobody else was getting it.

Her sisters laughed.

"Hah! That's right. Ane-sama would never be with a guy like you!"

But Juuzo wasn't listening to them. He was only staring right at her.

"Mamushi. I'm serious. Are you truly against it?" He asked. And it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all. How could she say no when he was making such a sincere face like that? She could just taste her defeat. But half of her was still thinking this was just an elaborate prank to get her to admit her feelings.

"...I am in a position to receive punishment. I'm not allowed to marry." She knew that even if this wasn't a dream or a prank or whatever, there was no way she was going to be allowed to have a happy ending. She was a traitor.

"Ah, then why don't you think of your marriage to me as your punishment?"

Mamushi was almost angry at his stupid response. She forgot this was a monkey she was talking to.

"I'm not as stupid as you!" She yelled. "I...I wouldn't see it as a punishment at all." She admitted. It was the closest she would admit to a confession as she could get.

She could hear her sisters whining in the back, but Juuzo was happily smiling at her and she couldn't not look at that, especially when he was smiling because of her.

"Juuzo-san," Her father stated, bringing her back into reality. " After this incident, Mamushi will lose her meister status and will be expelled. Her right eye… won't come back either. Are you okay with such a woman being your bride?"

"Yes," he replied without any hesitation.

"I formally ask, Uwabami-sama, Please give Mamushi to me."

Juuzo lowered his face respectfully to Uwabami. It was then that it hit Mamushi that this was actually happening, and her father's response was going to determine a strange new direction her life was going to.

Only a second past, and Mamushi heard the bow before she saw it, and before she knew it, both Juuzo and Uwabami had their heads slammed against the floor.

"It is I who should say, please take good care of her!"

"Thank you very much!"

Mamushi freaked. She didn't think her father would say yes! She technically hadn't even said yes yet! She didn't even notice that her family's conversation was causing a commotion outside the room, which meant even more people heard her father agreeing to her marriage.

The entire room started chatting with excitement. There hadn't been a wedding in a long time in their sect and now there was finally a reason to celebrate. Mamushi was still trying to wrap her head around all of this. Yesterday, she helped release an evil demon, betrayed the entire Myōō Dharani sect, and last an eye, and now she's getting married? What kind of dream is this supposed to be?

Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't even notice Juuzo casually placing his hand on top of hers. He was leaning close to her again, causing her to blush ridiculous colors.

"I hope this is all right," he began. "I knew if I talked to you in person you wouldn't take me seriously so I wanted to make sure you heard me loud and clear."

"How do you do that?' She asked. "I can't even say what's on my mind and yet you can easily say things like 'marry me''. It's not fair…"

He had began to brush his thumb against her fingers.

"I know," he said. "Ever since you were little you had trouble saying what you've wanted to say. It was hard on you growing up, but I don't mind it at all. I'm going to break you down piece by piece until I can hear the words I've been waiting to hear."

He put both his hands on hers now, engulfing her in warmth.

"...What words?" she asked, trying to casually not sound too lovestruck.

"I love you."

Ah, there was that beautiful smile again.

* * *

A/N: And this here kinda ends the "canon" part of the story. The rest will just be up to my imagination hohoho


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This is so late I'm so sorry D: On the plus side, chapter 90 is the chapter I've been waiting for with the Shima fam!

* * *

"You're sure you have everything?" Her mother asked again for the third time.

"Yes, Mom. Most of my stuff has already been shipped over and it's not like I'm going far…"

A few weeks after the announcement of their engagement, it was decided Mamushi would move in with the Shima's so she could get to know her in-laws more before she and Juuzo bought a house and settled. She spent most of the time with her family and going to a bunch of doctor's appointments until it was finally approved that the area where her eye should be won't cause any problems in the future.

Every now and then, Juuzo would send a text and sometimes even call just to talk about her day. Now that they don't work together anymore, it was weird that they actually had to tell each other about their day instead of already knowing it. He asked a lot of questions about the updates of her eye, but most of all, he happily chatted with her about his family and where she would stay and what they could do together.

She wondered if this is what it was like to be in a committed relationship.

"Remember to be on your best behavior and listen to Obaa-chan— ah, actually I'm sure she wouldn't mind you calling her Mom at this point either."

"Mom! Why are you so calm about this?" Mamushi asked. The whole time she was home, her mother has done nothing but insinuate all these things about her and Juuzo's relationship.

"Darling, we all knew this was going to happen any moment now, I just didn't think Juuzo would just skip the dating phase and go straight for marriage. The boy's the old fashion type, isn't he? But it's fine. He probably didn't think he'd ever like anyone else and didn't want to deal with going through all the steps."

Mamushi blushed at her mother's thinking. There's no way that was what Juuzo was thinking. He didn't show any interest in her until recently after all. She voiced this to her mom, but she got a strange look from her.

"A boy doesn't just follow you to a school all the way in Tokyo for no reason."

"What are you talking about? He wanted to go there as well! We signed up together."

"No, he wanted to stay home close to his family. You two were the first ones to go to that school after the Blue Night, everyone was anxious. But you said education was important and that was the end of the discussion. He signed up before anyone could ask him to keep an eye out on you."

"Ugh, why does everyone think I need looking after? The Most High Priest had told Juuzo the same thing. We've got the same grades! Almost the same level of powers. Just because he knows how to talk to people doesn't mean he's the more responsible one." Mamushi pouted. She knew her mouth has gotten her in trouble more than once, but she just couldn't stand to be babied.

"Actually, that's exactly what it means. If you want to be taken seriously as an adult Mamushi, you need to know how to convey your thoughts to others. It's not selfish to want something and it's not modest to not need anything. The only reason why you advanced as an exorcist is because your sisters knew how you communicated. If you were on any other team, you would have been left behind." Her mother said realistically.

She put her hands on Mamushi's and gave her a smile.

"I know rejection is scary." She said, "But you have to have faith in yourself and others. So when you go and live with the Shima's, work on that little problem of yours okay?"

"Just remember that boy knows everything about you. So don't hide yourself, embrace yourself. He already has, and he likes you for it." She emphasized on the word "like" as if she was a middle school brat, raising her eyebrows in a way that was teasing.

"Oh my god, Mommm." Mamushi shook her hands, as if trying to shake off her mother's hands, but held on to them.

"Be good my child. You've found someone who loves you, and that's all a parent can ask for."

"Thanks, Mom.."

* * *

While packing was still a jerk, the Shima's actually didn't live that far away. At most, twenty minutes by car if there was traffic. Their house structures were even pretty similar.

When Mamushi arrived there, only Juuzo's mom was there to greet her.

"Mamushi-chan! It's been so long, let me take a look at you." Her soon to be mother-in-law said.

Mamushi nervously smiled while she walked close to her, hoping her eyepatch wasn't blaringly noticeable.

But she didn't make any comments on her eye, only about how pretty her skin was, how she seemed to have gained a little weight (not having to worry about fighting anymore has kinda meant no longer keeping up with a strict regiment…), but most of all, she surprised Mamushi by touching her hips. She gave her a couple of pats, nodding with approval.

"I'm letting you know now, Juuzo has wanted kids ever since Renzo was born. I've never seen a teenager so into child care as much as Juuzo was. Yaozo-san was the same; wanted as many kids as possible. You tell him a number if you want to stop, but otherwise, your mother and I have already wrote out a book with everything you need to having kids."

Mamushi just gaped at the sudden, inundated news she received. She knew Juuzo would want kids, everyone knew! He carried both Renzo and Yumi before he went off to school. But she thought maybe he was just being the perfect older brother? After all, she took care of her sisters as well. It was expected.

"Oh dear, you look overwhelmed." Juuzo's mother fanned her. "Let's get you situated inside and I'll make you some tea."

Mamushi awkwardly followed after her, wondering if it would be possible to hide in a hole after all of this. They weren't even married yet! How can people already start thinking about kids? What about the wedding? The house? Not to mention, Mamushi would probably need to find a new job to even think about affording all of this.

"Put your stuff in the first room on the right up the stairs, I'll start the kettle."

Mamushi stared at the room that was now hers. It was spacious, really spacious for a house that fit a family of eight. Last time she checked, Juuzo still slept on a bunk bed with all the other boys. Why was she given a room all to herself?

"I hope that works for you. We had to move things around since a lot of the children don't even live here anymore…" Juuzo's mother hollered from the kitchen.

"Of course! It's great." Mamushi hurriedly put her stuff down and returned back downstairs. "I-I just thought I'd be sharing a room with Yumi-chan? Sa-Juuzo had mentioned before that I'd be put in the girls' room."

"Ah yes," The kettle released a nervous squeal, and she arrived with a tray of tea and cookies. "That was the idea at first, but I mean, you two are both adults. I'm sure you can handle yourselves."

"Eh?" Mamushi bit into a cookie. "What do you mean?"

"You're sharing a room with Juuzo of course." She replied.

Mamushi started to cough up said cookie.

"Before marriage?" She squealed, quickly grabbing her tea cup. "Don't you think you all are taking this a bit rather quickly?" Mamushi asked.

"We're doing this quickly because now's the only time we got! You two haven't dated, haven't lived together, and when the two of you worked, you don't even work well together. How are we supposed to expect a functioning family from that?" Juuzo's mother responded, casually sipping her tea.

"We're not trying to rush you, but you need to get comfortable with each other. Know each other besides the childhood friends you are. And trust me, that boy is not going to do anything you don't want to do. Or else." Her eye gleamed with a power Mamushi supposed only a mother would have.

"Thank you… Mom." Mamushi nervously says.

She knows that was the correct response when that earns her a smile and a rub on the shoulder.

"Now, finish your tea. Yumi will be home soon, and I know you two haven't seen each other in a long time, so I'll let you two get reacquainted again. After that, I want your help with dinner. Your mother says you know the basics, so I trust you to know what to do. And after that, we can have one big happy dinner!" She squealed, excited by her new daughter.

"That sounds nice." Mamushi smiled.

* * *

However, not all was great.

Yumi, as it turned out, was not the cute little baby girl she used to know. Now at the tender age of twelve and just beginning her teenage rebellion, she was not happy at all with her new older sister. Mamushi had, after all, taken her room, and Yumi now had to share with her mother. Ever since Jun had moved out, Yumi had a room all to herself while the boys were piled all into one room.

Mamushi tried her best to appease to the young girl, but it was hard when she escaped quickly into her now shared bedroom with a kurt closing of the door.

She ended up spending time organizing her stuff instead of getting to know the sweet child who used to get away with everything in the Shima household.

After that, she was thrown into the world of cooking and had to learn how to chop vegetables perfectly while making sure the rice was cooking and adding seasoning to every dish. She had made food for herself while at school, but never for a family of six! In the end, she watched her mother-in-law sufficiently dish out food that filled the entire dining room table by the time the men got home.

When they heard the door open and the murmured "tadaima," Mamushi was quickly ushered out of the kitchen and into the living room to greet everyone who returned home.

"W-w-welcome home!" She squeaked, doing a quick bow. She heard her mother-in-law talking to her family next to her, but she couldn't help but notice Juuzo's cute expression.

He seemed surprised to see her there even though he knew she was coming today. He was dressed in his usual exorcist uniform, but there was something nice seeing him wearing it at home.

Mamushi blushed at the thought that they were finally living under the same roof.

"Mamu...nee-chan I guess now right?" Kinzou blurted, not realizing she and Juuzo were kinda having a silent moment.

"Your eye looks pretty good now, have you thought about getting a cool eyepatch? You can get one with my band's logo on it!" He continued to ramble until his mom told him to go clean up for dinner.

"Thank you for your hard work today," Mamushi turned to her new father-in-law.

He gave her a smile before patting Juuzo on his back, pushing him forward a little towards Mamushi.

"I've already talked it over with Juuzo, but you two are still living under my roof until you get a place of your own, understand?"

"O-of course!" She blushed deeply, but was thankful everyone seemed pretty content with their new house member.

"Was my mom okay?" Juuzo asked, bringing her attention back to her fiance.

"Yes, yea. I helped cook a bit and everything."

"Geez," Juuzo rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "I hope my mom didn't go all Crazy Mother-in-Law on ya."

"No, it was fine. I didn't have much else to do today anyways."

"That's cool. Were you able to say hi to Yumi-chan?" He asked.

"About that… Why didn't you tell me we were sharing a room together? Yumi-chan was not in the greatest mood today when she got home from school."

"What!" Juuzo's face flushed after hearing Mamushi. It was clear he had nothing to do with the new arrangement. "No, uh, I didn't know about this either I swear."

"Mom, must have made the decision after we left for work." He continued.

"Are you okay with this arrangement? I can go talk to Mom right now. I don't mind staying in my own room." He put his hand casually on her shoulder, looking into her eyes.

"I-I…" She was embarrassed now, knowing that his mom was really setting them up hard. She could just feel her mouth slipping and saying something insulting when she remembered her mother's words: don't hide yourself, embrace yourself.

"I'm fine with this arrangement." She boldly replied. "But, Yumi-chan seemed to be really mad. I don't want to have a bad start with her…"

"I'll go talk to her then." He smiled pleasantly. He was surprised by how truthful Mamushi was acting. Usually he had to delicately pull her along until she finally admitted to what she wanted in the most indirect way possible.

"Go sit down, I'll be back with Yumi-chan and we can eat. I'm excited to try everything you made."

* * *

True to his word, Juuzo came back holding Yumi-chan's hand. Though the little girl wasn't exactly smiling, she definitely looked much calmer than she originally was.

"Come on, go sit next to Nee-chan." Juuzo said softly, taking Mamushi's other side.

"Ara, Yumi, what took you so long." Her mother asked, putting rice down in front of them.

"She was just finishing her homework," Juuzo replied, digging into his meal.

After that, it was mostly discussions over little things. Kinzou's band was getting more and more popular. Yumi would soon be deciding whether she wanted to start her exorcist studies or not, and of course, possible locations for the new couple. The food was delicious, but that was obvious since most of the cooking was done by Mom. Mamushi made a personal note to start looking into recipes herself to learn to make. Soon after, everyone went to do their own thing. Mamushi followed along Juuzo to their new room, wondering what on Earth he told Yumi-chan to appease her.

"Knowing my mom, she probably already moved all my stuff over, but I'm just going to confirm first. Do you want to go shower first?" He asked as they awkwardly stood in front of their room, as if not knowing what to do next.

"I usually take baths." Mamushi confessed, hoping she wasn't going to be a hassle. What Japanese family didn't take baths?

"That's fine, the bathroom closest to us has a tub. Go ahead and use that one." He smiled, patting her head before going to his old room.

Knowing she took long baths, Mamushi quickly grabbed her toiletries and hopped into the tub the minute it was filled. It had been a long day. She hadn't done much physically, but her mind has been on edge the whole day.

She's agreed to marry Juuzo, she's agreed to move in with him and his family, and now? She's agreed to share a room with him. Her mother said not to hesitate, but life is taking her on a path that felt like they were speeding down a highway at this point. Was it weird they were sharing a room without sharing a kiss yet? Wasn't there a breakdown on how relationships were supposed to go?

Before she knew it, she was lost in her thoughts and the water was getting less warm. There was a knock on the door.

"Y-yes?" Mamushi hesitantly asked.

"Hey, uh. Don't mean to rush you, but we have a big family…" Juuzo called out through the door.

"Ah, I'll be done in just a sec!"

Mamushi hadn't realized she had already been soaking longer than usual. Giving her body a quick rinse, she noticed her fingers had already gotten all pruney. She turned off the water and threw on a robe, carefully wrapping her hair in a towel so water didn't drip. Giving herself a quick check in the mirror, she opened the bathroom door and walked to her room.

Opening the door, she found Juuzo in casual clothing at the desk looking at his computer. He looked up when she entered and gave her a smile.

"The bathroom is free." She weakly said, hot from her bath but also from his smile.

"Thanks! I'll go shower then. Do you need anything else?" He asked.

"I think I'm good!" She replied. "It's a bit early, but I think I'm just going to read and then go to bed."

"That's fine. I don't have much work to do tonight. Which side of the bed do you want?" Juuzo innocently asked.

"Side?..." Mamushi hadn't thought about that. The night was drawing closer to an end. She's never slept with anyone else before; her sisters didn't count. Should she choose the side closer to the door? But then he probably has to get up earlier than her so he shouldn't be in the corner…

Juuzo noticed her dilemma and laughed.

"It's just a question." He said. "You're thinking too much. Just pick what's comfortable to you. I'll be back."

When he left, she quickly just flopped onto the bed, telling herself she was being such a big idiot. But then again, Juuzo was taking this too lightly! It's not just a small question! They were going to sleep like this (presumably) for the rest of their lives. It has to be perfect. Face down on the bed, she rubbed her hand against the blanket wondering what it would be like to be so close to Juuzo… But before she got too deep into _those_ thoughts, she shook them away and got up to brush her hair and grab the book she'd been meaning to read.

Deciding on the side that was against the wall, she crawled into bed just a few minutes before Juuzo came back wearing a T-shirt and shorts. Her heart fluttered for a second, but she demanded she play it cool and just gave him a nodd before continuing to read.

"Can you see everything all right?" He asked, rubbing a towel through his hair.

"Yea, it's fine." She said.

He approached the bed and lifted the covers high enough to get in. Mamushi could feel the dip in the mattress as he curled up in bed. She tried to continue reading but she noticed after a bit, that he'd actually been staring up at her.

Pulling the book up to cover her face, she shyly asked what he was doing.

"Just looking at you." he replied.

"Why?" she asked, completely giving up on her book.

"Cuz you're finally here with me." He simply stated.

"And what, you've been waiting your whole life for this?" She sarcastically joked.

"Basically, yeah."

She stilled, not sure what kinda comeback to say to that. They were technically flirting at this point, right? She put her book down, letting it slide into the dip between the bed and the wall. Laying her head down against her pillow, she bravely leveled herself to Juuzo, completely giving him her attention.

"You know…" She said quietly. She took this chance to notice all the little details on Juuzo's face. His skin was so smooth for someone who probably didn't take that much care for it.

"If you had told me you liked me in like middle school, I probably would have been okay with it."

They stared at each other, Juuzo's look of surprise turned into a giant grin as he pulled her toward him tickling her sides.

"That's a lie and you know it!" he laughed. "I could barely get you to look at me back then."

"That's because you acted so much like a monkey back then!" she squealed, trying to push his hands away.

But he was insistent, he pulled her even closer until their foreheads touched.

"Does that mean you've liked me too?" He asked with a smug grin.

"Oh, shut up!" She pouted, it's because of that grin that she has trouble talking. "If you didn't act like you were right all the time, i wouldn't have felt like I was being babied all the time."

"Sorry, sorry," his hand brushed up and down her back, trying to soothe her. "I guess that's what happens when you have four younger siblings." He laughed again before calming down.

"I'll listen to you more, Mamashi." He promised, hesitantly leaving his arms around her.

"Okay," she whispered, snuggling close to him.

* * *

A/N: After this chapter, we're gonna focus less on the other characters and narrow down on Mamushi and Juuzo. I think that was the reason why I had trouble writing this chapter… Anyways, until next time!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Have you guys seen the latest chapters? Is it just me or are we just never going to see their moms? :(

* * *

Life after the first week of moving in with the Shima's became pretty normal. Mamushi had signed up for nursing classes after that so she had something to focus on, while Juuzo continued to do his job as an exorcist.

Every evening after dinner, the two would get together, sometimes go out for an evening stroll, sometimes go watch a movie—

"Ane-sama, that sounds super boring!" Ao proclaimed.

The three sisters had gotten together for lunch over the weekend; Juuzo had politely declined the girl's day out.

"What! What do you mean super boring? I-it's nice to have someone just to do stuff with without needing to force anything to happen." Mamushi protested. She honestly did enjoy their time together. It made coming home at the end of the day really nice.

"But don't you want more?" Nishiki asked. "Like have you guys even kissed yet?"

Mamushi swatted at her sister, surprised she'd ask for such personal info.

"I'm waiting on him okay! He said we can take it slow, so I'm waiting for the perfect opportunity."

"But Ane-sama, if you want to kiss him, why don't you just do it then? I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"That's so embarrassing though! Too many factors can go wrong if I attempt it."

"Wouldn't he be facing the same amount of factors?!"

"What if the two of you are both too embarrassed to do it?" Ao asked.

"Ugh, ew Ao, don't say the words "do it." We're just trying to get them to kiss."

"Why are both of you making it seem like it's not a big deal whatsoever?" Mamushi asked. As far as she knows, her sisters never really had a relationship either.

"Becauseee," Ao dragged out. "You two are like the only thing people talk about at work. It'd be like, "oh man did you hear about the giant demon in Odaiba?" "yea but what did you place your bets for in Juuzo and Mamushi's relationship?""

"They're placing bets at work about us?!"

"Ah, Juu-ni doesn't know. It's mostly that idiot Kinzou who started it. Although he was kind enough to bet that your marriage would survive. Oh, and he bet you guys would have five kids, and he— "

"Exactly how many bets are going on about us?" Mamushi squeaked. Was exorcist life that boring in Kyoto? Wasn't there the whole Impure King aftermath to deal with?

"Around five or so?" Nishiki replied.

"That many… Wait! Is there a bet going around about us kissing? Is this why you want me to kiss him so badly?"

Ao and Nishiki both looked nervous. Not wanting to confirm whether or not it was true, Ao replied, "well, half the proceeds go to funding your future house…"

"I can't believe you guys!"

"You don't understanddd," Nishiki whined. "Most of the sect are just old farts, this was the one thing everyone has fun talking about together."

"I don't want everyone knowing our business," Mamushi hissed. "And don't refer to the higher exorcists as old farts!"

"I'm letting Juuzo know about this tonight." Mamushi got up and placed a few bills on the table.

"Are you leaving now? You're not that mad are you?" Ao asked.

"I'm annoyed. But I also have to go to a study group right now, so I will yell at the two of you some more next time."

"You're making friends at school?" Nishiki asked. It wasn't a question to make fun of her older sister. Everyone knew Mamushi had trouble making friends. It was an honest concern with the family.

"Sorta," Mamushi sighed. "We're all just trying to survive our classes. Midterms are already approaching and I feel like I haven't learned anything at all."

"Well, good luck Ane-sama!"

After Mamushi left, the two younger sisters pondered about their older one.

"You know," Nishiki began, "It's kinda weird to think Mamushi would be in school while we're not anymore."

"Yeaa," Ao agreed. "School was pretty fun. My study group never got anything done though. We'd try for like half an hour and then someone would suggest karaoke and next thing we know we all bombed our test."

"Nursing school must be different though right?" Nishiki asked. "Plus I can't imagine Ane-sama goofing off with other people."

"Hey, Ao, Nishiki, I thought you two were with Mamushi today."

The two turned around to see Juuzo and Kinzou enter the same cafe as them.

"Ah, she was just here…."

An idea popped into both of their heads so suddenly, as if a lightbulb just popped on top of their heads.

"Ane-sama went to a study session with a classmate just now." Nishiki said.

"Yea, yea, she didn't tell you this _at all_ Juu-ni?" Ao asked, emphasizing.

"No," Juuzo replied. "She's been busy with school work so I just try to catch her in the evenings."

'Ah, she just told us how much fun she was having at school. She's been making friends with a lot of people." Nishiki lied through her teeth.

"I can't believe she didn't tell you she was meeting with them today. She _sure_ seemed super excited when she left."

"Okayyy, that's nice to know, I'm going to go order some food." Kinzou replied, not getting why the girls were talking in such a roundabout manner.

Juuzo politely waved before turning to leave as well before Ao stopped him.

"Aren't you curious to know who Ane-sama hangs out with most of the week?" She asked.

Juuzo paused, before shaking his head no.

"If Mamushi really met someone she became friends with, then I'd be happy all the same. I'm not going to hover all over her business if she doesn't want me to."

"Well maybe you should," Nishiki countered. "She's waiting for you, you know. She's trying her best as it is, but she's still shy around you."

Juuzo was surprised to hear that. He and Mamushi talked everyday. She even shyly held his hand every now and then when she worked up the courage to.

One night when she was so tired from studying, she even ignored all the boundaries and snuggled right next to him in bed! Her face was priceless when she woke up the next day, which made him laugh, but it then also took him a long time to convince her that he really did not mind it at all.

"While I appreciate your concern over your sister, maybe next time talk to me in a more direct manner? You two just look silly talking slowly."

"Hey!"

"That's not nice!"

* * *

When Mamushi finally left the library, it was almost hitting close to dinner time. She knew she was going to have to hurry home if she wanted to help with dinner.

She was moving so quickly, that she even missed Juuzo waiting for her right at the entrance.

"O-oi!"

He grabbed her hand before she could take off, and turned her around so she would notice him.

"Saru!" She yelled, surprised that he was here.

"What are you doing here?"

"What, your fiance can't walk you home every now and then?"

Mamushi blushed, still not used to the word even though it had already been two months since the engagement.

"But I didn't tell you I was here… I thought you were resting today?"

"Kinzou and I bumped into your sisters at the cafe and they said you would be here. They were trying something funny and I guess they wanted me to go get you." He said, rubbing his neck.

"Oh no, what did they say?"

"Nothing really, I think they were trying to make me jealous? I'm not really sure, they were really bad at it."

"Oh my god, I can't believe those two. Did you know, there's a bet going on at the sect? They said Kinzou started it, but at this rate, I'm sure my sisters had something to do with it as well. I can't believe they'd make a game out of our relationship!"

"Whoa, slow down! What bet?"

Mamushi took a deep breath before starting her rant.

"There are apparently multiple bets going on about stupid milepoints in our relationship. Like when we'll kiss, or how many kids we'll have, and stupid stuff like that! As if they don't have an important job to do to help mankind. I don't want every one of our closest friends knowing every step in our relationship! If they're so desperate, they should go find their own romance instead."

"Okay, I'll talk to Kinzou tonight about the bets. We can have them call it off and I'll make sure no one talks about us at work. Is there something else bothering you?" He put his hand on her shoulder, reassuring her with a smile, but was surprised when it looked like she was going to cry instead.

"Whoa, whoa, what's wrong? Did I do something? Does your stomach hurt? Let's go sit down somewhere…"

He led her to an area off to the side of the library and let her sit by one of the outdoor seating the library offered.

"Are you happy with me?" She demanded.

Juuzo looked surprised. He couldn't remember ever voicing discontent even when they got into their arguments.

"Of course I am. Does it seem like I'm not?"

"No… But it also doesn't seem like you are either. You're not angered by their gossip? Do you not care about our relationship?"

"Hold on, hold on. Being angry about gossip and caring about our relationship is two different things. I don't care what people think about our relationship as long as we have a relationship! They can make all the bets they want, it's not going to change how I think of you. Why do you care so much about them?"

"Because we haven't done anything that they're betting on!"

Mamushi was internally screaming. This was not how she wanted this discussion to go. Why did they even need to talk about this in the first place?

"Do you… want to do the stuff they're betting on?" His voice was so low but it was his eyes Mamushi was blushing from. She both loved and hated it when he looked at her like she was gold in his eyes.

"I-I— Some of it, maybe?" She confessed.

"Why didn't you say anything before?"

"You said we should take it slow!"

"Mamushi… you freaked out the last time I tried to put my arm around you."

Not wanting to remember that horrible situation, Mamushi all but shoved his face away. She wasn't ready that time! She was reading and he just sat next to her and tried to cuddle out of nowhere and she was startled. Of course she was going to jump!

"Oi, stop pushing me." He grabbed both her hands, intertwining their fingers. He then shifted forward, lightly touching his head against her forehead.

"Is this okay?" He asked.

She quickly nodded, unsure if she could trust her voice at this point.

"How about this?" He whispered, bringing his lips carefully to the side of her eye.

She squeezed her eye shut then, but once again nodded.

"Just tell me when you want me to stop."

And he quickly went down the side of her face, dropping cute, little kisses until he got down to her jaw and paused a moment just to catch her expression.

His breath on her was strangely a familiar feeling since they slept together, but in this situation, it just made her even more aware of what was going on.

He took one of his hands and carefully touched her cheek, making her turn towards him more. He hovered again, his lips so close to hers that the anticipation was killing her. But he didn't kiss her.

Instead, he nudged their noses together, their lips brushing just the slightest, causing Mamushi to act instead. She grabbed the top of his shirt and dragged him over that one centimeter distance and fully placed his lips on hers.

She felt him laugh due to her impatience, making a note how nice that felt, but saved it for later as she was currently busy trying to romance the guy in front of her. Taking a small breath, she leaned in again, parting her lips this time to kiss him again, hard. She wrapped her arms around his neck, happy to touch him as she sucked on his bottom lip, causing him to shudder.

Juuzo seemed to have finally caught up when he wrapped his hands around her waist. He started kissing back just as hard, causing her to feel a bit dizzy. But it was when he moved his kiss down her neck did she realize how wonderful he made her feel.

That is… until she opened her eyes and realized a) they were still outside and b) she was supposed to be making dinner.

Shooting up from her seat, she realized it probably looked like she just rejected him, but she grabbed his hands and made him stand up as well, kissing him again lightly she spoke.

"We have to go home. I have to help with dinner."

But Juuzo seemed to be pretty fine with staying where they were. He began to kiss her again once he realized there was nothing wrong.

"Hey, no more kisses." She said, although even she could tell how poorly she was saying it.

"But Mamushiii," he continued without a care.

"We haven't gone through all the bets yet…"

Annoyed by his stupid joke, she pulled his ear, causing the kisses to stop.

"As if we can do everything at once! And you're not the one that's going to get in trouble by your mother for coming back late. We need to go now!"

Rubbing his ear, Juuzo pouted since their fun activity was put on hold. But he noticed she held her hand out to him and he happily walked with her, hands joined together.

It was as they were settling in for the night did Mamushi realize what a mistake she made, letting Juuzo know she was open to moving forward with their relationship.

"I'm trying to study!" She yelled, as she tried to push Juuzo's wandering hands away from her stomach.

"I just want to hold you! I won't distract you at all." He promised as he reached for her again, this time nudging his head towards her as well.

"No! You're completely distracting me." She felt him kiss her hair this time, and she nearly just gave up.

"How about this. Give me one hour, just one hour to finish studying, and we can go to bed after that."

"Go to bed?" She'd never seen his eyes light up so quickly.

"We're keeping things PG-13 you perv."

He gave her one last squeeze around the waist before letting go.

"That's fine, whatever you want, I want too. I'll go watch some TV, I'll be back in an hour!"

He snuck one last kiss and gave her a big smile, like a little boy who just got the biggest prize ever.

Mamushi melted on her desk, wondering how she was ever going to get anything done now.


	5. Chapter 5

Today, Mamushi was ready.

What was she ready for exactly?

A date.

But not just any date.

Three months into their engagement, Mamushi was extremely happy with her relationship with Juuzou. However, living with his entire family does have its downsides. Like say, no privacy whatsoever. So Mamushi finally decided to plan a date out of town and maybe even accidentally, possibly, stay the night.

She had asked Juuzou about coming with her to a kimono exhibit on the weekend and he had happily agreed to it. She had done all her research about the town and other activities they could do there and even prepared lunch for them while they took the train over. Juuzou didn't suspect a thing.

It was a four hour train ride to get to town, so the two of them enjoyed the peace and the food Mamushi prepared.

"So why this exhibit in particular?" Juuzou asked.

"Wh-what? What do you mean?"

"Well.. we live in Kyoto. It's kind of the center for kimono fashion."

"I-I just wanted to see new designs from different designers. Besides, the prices in Kyoto are ridiculously high compared to other towns."

"Are you looking to buy a new one?"

"Not necessarily… I know we have to save money, but it's nice to even just look at them."

Juuzou smiled and patted her head.

"I'm sure we can splurge every now and then. Besides, you just finished your midterms, I think you're supposed to relax now."

Mamushi wrapped her arms around his, enjoying his company. She was so happy she was able to do this knowing that he was okay with it as well. However, she shook her head in disagreement.

"No. If I even stare at something for more than five minutes, you take me away regardless of whether or not I want to buy it."

Her words were clearly serious, and Juuzou knew after the first twenty hits or so to take them seriously, but he knew the minute she finds something she absolutely wants, there's no way he's going to be able to say no to her. Especially after recent events where she just seemed more and more… beautiful.

Despite all the stress with studying and learning every aspect to being a housewife, it was rare of Mamushi to not smile. Whatever she was holding back all those years ago were gone. And if Mamushi was smiling, so was Juuzou. They were so obviously, pathetically, in their honeymoon stage.

He dropped a small kiss in her hair and agreed with her to make her happy. He's learned that there were lots of fights he's willing to lose to keep Mamushi in his arms.

* * *

When they got into the station, he could tell Mamushi was brimming with excitement. Immediately grabbing his hand, she pulled him along, obviously knowing where to go despite this being her first time in this town.

The exhibit was expectantly crowded, people from all over were here to see it, and Mamushi ooh'ed and aah'ed at every little thing.

She was doing well with keeping her wallet in check, even declining Juuzou's offer to buy her an accessory she cooed over for a long period of time. However when she saw, a beautiful deep red kimono on display in the far right corner, she knew that her attempts at keeping a budget were going to go down the drain.

Dragging Juuzou along, she chattered with the shopkeeper for a while, and excitedly went to the dressing room area to try it on.

Feeling the familiar weight on her shoulders when the heavy silk was laid on her, she was happy how well the fabric matched her tattoos. Turning around to let Juuzou see, she paused for a moment when she heard a comment in the background.

"Whoa, check out her eye patch."

"Dang, it's such a shame a girl like her has a damaged face…"

However, not knowing where the voices were coming from, she ignored it and gave her brightest smile to Juuzou, who, wasn't there.

Looking around, she noticed Juuzou leaving the store in what looked like a hurry and made her worry. Why was he leaving?

Quickly stripping off the robe, she politely thanked the attendant and chased after her fiance. Looking around in the crowd, it was hard to see where he went until she heard some yelling on on her left. Moving over to see what was going on, she found out it was Juuzou who was yelling at two teenagers.

It seemed only like a verbal argument, but she wondered what had gotten into him to be fighting with strangers in public.

"Saru?"

Her voice grabbed his attention, causing the two kids to scram, but before he could chase after them, Mamori put her hand on his arm.

"What's going on? Why were you shouting?"

Juuzou gave a displeased look at the disappearing figures, but sighed when Mamushi began asking questions.

"It's nothing, they were just being brats."

"Well of course they're brats! They barely looked sixteen. What were you doing picking on kids Renzou's age?"

Juuzou didn't respond, instead he just rubbed his head, clearly still annoyed.

"If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. You don't have to be a jerk and ignore me as well." She let go of him and turned around to go back to the store she was in.

However, before she took another step, Juuzou softly placed his hand on hers, causing her to pause.

"Sorry," he said quietly.

"I didn't mean to ruin the mood. Those kids… were being assholes. I didn't like what they were saying about you."

Wondering if they were the ones that made the comment on her eyepatch, she nearly sighed at how silly her fiance was. She knew people commented on her face. It wasn't really something that she could hide. It was either this or keeping her eyelid constantly closed, which would also get people to question why her face was constantly in a winking posture.

She grabbed his hand and hurried him back to the store. Seeing the same sales attendant still there, Mamushi asked politely if she could try on the kimono again. This time, she kept a watchful eye on Juuzou, and as she put on the robe, could see that he was very intently looking at her regardless.

"What do you think?" She asked, turning around so Juuzou could see her entirely.

The red coloring really did match the tattoos on her face, and the gold lining helped bring out her eye. Juuzou could clearly see that this kimono was perfect for her, and was mesmerized by her look even though there was no obi to put the outfit together.

He quickly took out his phone and snapped a picture of Mamushi and stored it away to look at later.

"Hey!" Mamushi whined. She couldn't have looked that great coming out of a four hour train ride wearing a kimono that wasn't even properly on her.

"Relax, it's a memento. I'm not going to show anyone this." He put his phone in his pocket, and instead took out his wallet.

"Excuse me, Miss. We'll definitely be taking this— Mamushi, go pick out an obi, we shouldn't stay too late or else we'll miss our train."

Annoyed that he was in a rush to leave so quickly, she reached out to his arm.

"W-wait Saru! Help me pick out a obi. I already have a white one, so I want something else that could match this."

"Ha? It's not like I know much about color theory or fashion…"

"Pretty please? Juuzou? I want you to pick something for me to wear."

Mamushi rarely tried to sweet talk anyone, let alone Juuzou, so when she decided to try it in haste to just buy some time, she was surprised to see a beautiful flush spread through his face in a matter of seconds. But before she could appreciate a new side of Juuzou she'd never seen, he quickly turned his face away and cleared his throat.

"I'll try my best…" he mumbled, before walking away to look at the array of sashes, leaving Mamushi speechless.

A few minutes later, he came back with a bunch of colors that clearly clashed, but made Mamushi laugh.

"You know what, how about we skip the obi and find some place to eat instead? I'm sure we'll be fine on a later train..."

* * *

A few hours later, the two of them were happily on an evening stroll with full stomachs and empty wallets.

"Say…." Mamushi commented, hoping she could say this correctly.

"It's already pretty late and if we leave now, we'd get back to Kyoto when all the subways would be closed."

She tried to look as innocent as possible when she finally said her real plan for the night.

"Why don't we just stay here for the night?"

Juuzou was beginning to wonder if his eyes and ears were working correctly. Not wanting to get his hopes up by Mamushi's words. He simply agreed to her statement and tried to stay away from any… other thoughts.

The walk to find a hotel was quiet. They held hands, but didn't talk. In fact, they tried most of the time to look away from each other, as if even looking was too much for them.

"Ah, this place had good reviews." Mamushi pointed to a small building that looked potentially like a bed and breakfast.

"You… researched hotels?" Juuzou asked, surprised she knew about the location.

Blushing deeply, she immediately started making excuses.

"I just wanted to be prepared, idiot! You never know with the trains…"

"But Japanese trains are always on time."

"S-shut up! Do you have a problem with me looking at hotels?" She pouted.

"It's just… Is this what I think it means? Mamushi?" Juuzou asked, eyes intently staring at her, as if trying to find a secret answer hidden on her face.

"I just wanted one night with just the two of us!" She confessed. "I hope this is okay..."

She squeezed her eyes shut, worried about what Juuzou thought. They already spent so much money today, was she being selfish about spending more just to have a few more hours of alone time?

She opened her eyes again when she felt Juuzou wrap his arms around her. Putting her own arms on his shoulders, she called out to him.

"I'm kinda really happy right now." He said, nuzzling his nose to her neck.

"But I have to make sure we're on the same page here. If we're alone tonight… You know exactly what this means right?"

She blushed, holding Juuzou even tighter while nodding her head.

Pulling apart from each other, Juuzou's heart raced when he saw the bashful look on her face. His patience quickly disappearing, he gave her a quick kiss and pulled her inside.

"Excuse me," he called out. "Do you have a room available for two tonight?"

One of the staff members came out and politely discussed the packages that they offered before showing them the way to their chosen room.

"As it is already well in the evening, I'm afraid our kitchen is closed. We will have breakfast ready for you at 8am and check out will be at 11am. If you should need anything else, please find any of the staff in the lobby." They said, before giving them the much anticipated privacy that they needed.

The minute the door closed, Juuzou picked Mamushi up and hurried to where their futons were located.

"W-wait. Shouldn't we bathe first?" Mamushi asked, trying to get a handle on the situation.

However, Juuzou was already planting kisses down her neck and on top of her collarbone.

"Do we have to?" He muttered, all the while dragging his lips softly across her shoulders.

"But we've been out all day— ah," He had moved back to her neck and gave her a little bite.

"How about we have our fun and then we can take a bath together?" He grinned, fingers already playing around with the hem of her shirt.

"You pervert…" Mamushi pouted. However, her hands were reaching for him and his clothes as well, giving him a kiss before pulling his shirt up and off him.

While they lived together, it was rare for Mamushi to see Juuzou shirtless, probably for her own modesty. But now, she wondered why on earth she had never tried to sneak a peak. He had a very toned body, years of being an exorcist had him training constantly. And yet, he wasn't ridiculously buff, it just all made him totally and completely ogle-able.

She must have been staring for too long because Juuzou gave out a laugh causing her to turn bright red. Before she could lose any confidence however, she practically ripped off her own shirt to match her partner. Pulling them back together, she kissed him deeply, not wanting to waste any more time than they already have with distractions.

"Wait, I want to see you…"

"Nope, you laughed at me so now you've missed your chance." Her hands wandered shamelessly, wanting to feel Juuzou as she kept him occupied with kisses. Before long, she eventually pushed him down to lie completely on his back while she crawled on top of him to continue her fun with him.

"If I had known you were this excited to be alone with me, I would have booked a hotel every day of the week." Juuzou laughed, his hands also wandering until they finally positioned themselves on her hips.

The dialogue between them slowly stopped as they explored new areas and were slowly moving to get rid of the rest of their clothes when a muffled jingle rang in one of their forgotten jacket pockets.

The distraction caused Juuzou to quickly flip their position around so he could finally be on top, but Mamushi recognized that sound.

"Juuzou," after pausing a minute to enjoy his tongue on her neck. "Isn't that.. Isn't that the ' _Important. Can not miss, people possibly dying, ringtone_ '?" She asked, moaning seconds later when she felt his hands slip under her bra.

Juuzou seemed to be pretending all together that his phone was ringing, instead captivated by the way she squirmed when he moved his mouth closer down her chest.

"Juuzou…" She softly warned.

"But this is our night," Juuzou complained, stopping his actions to rest his head completely on her chest. The phone started ringing again, playing the same tune and yet sounding even more and more alarming.

"I'm the one who wanted this…" Mamushi consoled, but also put her hand on his shoulder and shook it to get him to move.

"If you don't go save the world, you won't get to have me at all." She warned.

Still pouting, Juuzou finally admitted defeat and got up to grab his phone. Answering it, he could hear his father shouting about something going on in the Shimane Prefecture and something about Renzou that caught his attention.

Confirming how quickly he could get there, Juuzou ended the phone call and quickly started to put his clothes back on.

"Is everything okay? I thought I heard your brother's name…" Mamushi was anxious. She couldn't deal with another incident so soon.

"Everyone's fine." He gathered her up into a reassuring hug, kissing her hair a few more times before letting go.

"It's actually just clean up duty, but it seemed like it's infected a lot of people so they need all hands on deck."

"Do you want me to come along?" She asked.

"No, I'm going to head straight there right now. You might as well enjoy the rest of the stay here." He gave what was best described as a hurt puppy look.

"But now that I know you want this, you better prepare yourself when I get back." He rested his hand on her cheek, his eyes already gleaming with possible plans.

She rolled her eyes and gave him a playful shove.

"As long as you always plan to come back." Mamushi smiled.

* * *

A/N: One more chapter to go! I know I was aiming for ten, but at this point I'd rather finish it than keep dragging it along...


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Super sorry how ridiculously late this was. The moment I wrote there was one chapter left, my mind went on vacation... I rewrote this like six times and I'm still not happy with it, but I really want to give you all closure. Thank you so much for sticking around and writing reviews! You guys are the best!

* * *

The whole incident in the Shimane Prefecture took about a whole month to settle. For the Shima family, that meant a lot of traveling back and forth to ensure the safety and health of every single citizen there. Unfortunately for Mamushi, that meant only seeing her fiance a couple of times a week. But instead of being upset, she shoved all her wants and needs behind an imaginary door, and threw herself into her studies.

It was only when Juuzou, tired and weary, burst into their room and surprised her by twirling her around and yelling, "I'm finally done!" did she realize that imaginary door she kept locked was just about ready to burst.

They had always talked about going slow; they're getting married so it's not like they needed to rush. But Mamushi didn't realize how much her life had changed from revolving around being an exorcist to revolving around Juuzou.

Obviously not all of her life was about Juuzou, but he was there for her when her anxiety kicked in. He was there when the nightmares happened. He was there when all she needed was a friend. And so, seeing him all raggedy and travel-worn, she happily pushed him onto their bed and told him she was going to kiss him for each day he was gone.

* * *

Since then, it was like they were playing catch up over the month they missed. There was never a time when they got tired of each other and Juuzou didn't seem to mind at all when he started losing more and more of his sleeping shirts and finding himself being pulled along to go on more "shopping trips" with Mamushi.

It was nearing Christmas time and the end of the school semester, which Mamushi thought meant no stress and relaxation, but she seemed to have forgotten that the holidays makes everybody go on edge.

There were presents that needed to be bought for her new in-laws and family members. The list basically tripled since last year and she also needed to get all the books for next semester, all while looking for a part time job that she could balance, and her mother-in-law wanted to have a giant family dinner which meant she had to practice her cooking as well.

All in all, it was no wonder she got sick the week before Christmas. Everything she had done to prepare for the holiday was barely finished and yet, she could barely get herself to leave the bed. Every part of her felt achy and uncomfortably hot, which was strange for December.

Juuzou looked especially concerned, but she brushed it aside and told him it was nothing to worry about. It was most likely a cold, after all winter was just starting, she just hoped she didn't cause everyone else in the family to get ill as well.

It was only four days til Christmas when Mamushi woke up in the early morning to vomit, which was surprising. She could barely eat the entire week so far, so it was more dry heaving at this point, but the panicked noises she made woke Juuzou up immediately.

"We should go to the hospital." He said, rubbing her shoulders and pulling her hair away from the toilet bowl.

"I'm sure it's not that serious," Mamushi replied, focusing on taking deep breathes instead of her roaring stomach.

"You haven't gotten better at all this week!" Juuzou exclaimed, his mind speeding through the last couple of days, wondering what on earth could have gotten his fiance this sick.

"That's not true… It's just in the mornings… I feel better after I eat something."

"I don't care. It doesn't hurt to just get checked Mamushi."

"But… I still have so much to do to prepare for Christmas…"

"Who cares about Christmas! Your health is way more important than some holiday!"

"But it's the first one we'll be celebrating together," Mamushi pouted. She had waited so long for this. She had the whole day planned with both their families getting together during the day and the two of them would then head out and enjoy the festivities outside at night.

"Just a second opinion," Juuzou pleaded. "If it's really not a big deal, I'll help you with getting everything ready. You should be relaxing regardless."

"Okay," She smiled, leaning onto Juuzou's side. "If it makes you happy."

"I've been happy ever since I've met you." He replied, wrapping his arms around her.

"Liar," She teased. "I know you got mad when Ryuji-sama said he liked me more than you."

"That was like fifteen years ago!"

* * *

Juuzou is a truly unique person. He learned at a young age that children were precious and must be loved. His older brother died protecting children and so he took the steps to be the eldest son without any complaints or fears. While his parents were busy protecting the world, he became a top student at school and always made sure to look after all of his siblings while also protecting Bon. Everything the world took and gave to him, made him be who he is today.

However, when Mamushi was given opportunity from the world, she saw both the dark and light side of it and became scared. When Takezo died, she learned the reality of the jobs of exorcists and the morality of humans. She put her faith in the only person she believed could never die, the Most High Priest, but then felt lost when he said he wouldn't fight.

She went to school and pretended the reason why she couldn't make friends was because she was better than them when in reality she was just scared. And because of that, she naively grabbed onto the first person to give her a safe place. Always, she felt like she was being pushed into a corner, never doing the right thing. In the end, leaving the exorcist world was probably the best worst thing to happen to her. But now the fear that left her was starting to come back.

Pregnant. She was pregnant.

It was probably obvious if anyone knew their active lifestyle for the past month, but for some reason, the smart, responsible, Mamushi forgot that having sex usually produces a child if certain procedures weren't followed.

"A baby?!" Juuzou's eyes were twinkling in a way that actually felt a little too bright for the eyes.

"A baby!" He repeated again, while the doctor politely smiled and wrote down suggested vitamins and prescriptions. "What a perfect Christmas surprise!"

"You're very excited about this," Mamushi gave a small smile. She remembered this was how Juuzou reacted to any news about children, whether it was his own siblings or his nieces and nephews.

"How are you not?! We're already starting our family. We need to move up the wedding! Oh, I have to call everyone to come down. We haven't had anything big since Jun got married."

Mamushi was quiet while Juuzou rambled. They never really talked about children. She knew it was going to happen eventually, after all, everyone knew Juuzou loves kids. However, could she, with everything she has done, become a good mother?

"Are you ready to go Mamushi?" He nudged her carefully, getting her attention. "We should get you back home and warm. I'll tell mom that you shouldn't be cooking for Christmas."

"I'm pregnant, not injured!" She replied. "You don't expect me to just sit for the next nine months do you?"

"I know that, but you threw up this morning, so you should take it easy anyways!"

"Oh... That's sweet, but I think I'll be okay. I told you, it's just the mornings. I'm fine after everything calms down."

He stared calmly on her blushing face. She always hated it when he caught her with a face as red as candy, but this time, his eyes still had that beautiful twinkle that just hit her with little hearts and kisses and so, for a moment she positively thought, everything will be fine.

* * *

The reaction from the family wasn't a typical one. While it was happy, it seemed they were laughing at some inside joke instead of celebrating their firstborn child.

"Amazing, you guys barely lasted six months!" Kinzou screamed.

"We all knew a baby was coming, but this was even sooner than anyone imagined." Their father said with a bright smile.

"I'll have to call Jun and Gozou to come down immediately. We should move the wedding, yes? I should also talk to Torako-san about rental space…" Their mother already spitting out logistical plans.

"Ah, I can help as well." Mamushi replied, getting up to grab a notebook from her room.

"So.. How many kids are you guys planning on having?" Kinzou fiddled with his hands like he was playing air guitar.

"The number doesn't matter, as long as it's big and loud." Juuzou could already imagine the little feet thumping around on the floor and laughter filling the rooms.

"How are you gonna do that with what house and resources?" His dad muttered, picking up a newspaper to look at instead of his son's dreamy face.

"I can be patient you know~"

"Juuzou, can you go check on Mamushi? She should be back by now." His mother said, already crunching numbers and dates for the wedding.

"Oh, you're right, let me go see…"

Walking down the hallway, Juuzou hummed a simple tune, everything in his life was going great! Besides that little issue with his little brother being a spy, he has a beautiful soon-to-be wife, a job that could at least cover most of the bills, and a soon to be child! But when he heard a soft sniffle through the door to his room, he paused.

"Mamushi?" He knocked softly. He knew if he went in without permission, she'd deny everything and try to hide even more in her shell.

There was a small gasp, but otherwise that was the only sound he heard her make.

"Mamushi, can I come in?"

He tried to hear any kind of acknowledgement but was about to give up when the door opened slightly.

His heart weakened, seeing this image of Mamushi looking so sad and hurt.

"Oh Mamushi…" He slipped into the room, closing the door behind him as he began immediately to wipe her tears.

"I know we never talked about our future and children, but if a baby isn't what you want, I don't want you to think you need to do it for me. We have options!And you can decide whenever you want." He tried to be as soothing as possible, bringing her in and rubbing her back.

But it seemed to cause more tears as she gripped his shirt and shook her head no.

"Of course I want a child with you!" She breathed deeply. Her face was red again like a child's, eyes puffy and cheeks wet from tears.

"I just.. I don't know if i'll do a good job. I've screwed up everything important to me, what if the same thing happens with this baby?"

Juuzou paused slightly before laughing loudly and bringing her closer.

"It's not funny you jerk!" Mamushi said, as she began to try and squirm away from him.

"Yes it is!" He pecked her lips before lifting her up until she was high enough to kiss her stomach as well.

"You've gone mad!" She yelled, desperately trying to balance while also trying to squash all the butterflies fluttering in her body.

"Come on, let's go see my parents!"

"What?! No, I just cried and my face is all messy!" She whined loudly as Juuzou left anyways, carrying her down the hallway.

Hiding behind him immediately the minute she was put down, she was ready to smack Juuzou and hide back in their room for laughing at her feelings that took her all her courage to say, when he started to speak.

"Mom, Dad, Kinzou," he said, getting everyone's attention.

"What's going on?" His father asked, noticing Mamushi's… state.

"You'll always help us with the baby no matter what right?" Juuzou asked.

"Well of course we will!" His mother said, surprised he even needed to ask.

"And so will Mamushi's family right?"

"That is generally what family does…" His father confirmed.

"Please, with how popular you two are, I'm sure the whole sect will help you guys out." Kinzou blabbed.

"Mamushi, don't you see?" Juuzou turned to smile at her.

"We have so many people who want to help, that's what being a family is about. You're not alone, and you never have been!"

He took both her hands and drew them close.

"You can trust us, Mamushi." Her eyes began to water again when she realized what Juuzou was trying to say, what she's been trying to find for so long.

"We've all been waiting for you to. No one will let you down ever again."


End file.
